Safety device for automobiles.



C-. S'HILLING. SAFETY DEVICE Fon AUTOMOBILES.

APPLLCATIQN, FILED SEPT. 21| 1914..

Patented July 13, 191".

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E. C. SHILLING. SAFETY DEVICE'FOR AUTOMOBILES.

APPLICATION msn sEPT.21. 191'4.

Patented July 13, 1915.

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EDW'ARD CLFTONSHILLING, OF CiL-UMBUE,

Film; SSIGNQR 0F ONE-FURTHIT OXVEN C. FUQU, 0F COLUMBUS, GEIQ, LND EEFURTH Til JACOB IDAGGE-R, 0]?

URBANA, OHIO.

SAFETY DEVICE FR AUTOMGBLES,

.Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July i3, ililll,

pplieation filed September 2l, 19ML Serial lilo. 362,859.

T0 all whom it may concern Be it known that I, EDWARD C. SHILLING, a citizen of the United States, residing at Columbus, in the county of ,Franklin and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Safety Devices .for Automobiles, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawingsn rlhis invention relates to safety devices and particularly to a safety device for automobiles or similar vehicles to prevent the same from turning completely over when falling into a ditch.

An object ot this invention is the provision of a safety device of this character .which normally forms bumpers at the forprovision ot' a safety device which comprises.

tubular casings connected to the forward and rear springs ot the vehicle and which provide bumpers for the same, the casings inclosing transversely slidahle bars which are normally held within the casing, and which are adapted to slide out of the casings in either direction to engage the ground, the bars being autolmitically prevented from returning within the casing upon engaging the ground.

lVith these and other objects in view, my invention consists in the novel construction, combination, and arrangement of parts, to be hereinafter more fully described, claimed7 and illustrated in the accompai'iyingdrawings, in which- I `igure l is an elevational view showing the vehicle in dotted lines having my improved satety device connected thereto; Fig. Q is a rear elevational view showing the device in normal positionglfig. 3 is a rear elevational view showing the device in extend ed position; Fig, l is an elevational view partly in section showing one section of the casing removed; Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional view of one of the bumpers and the means for connecting the same to the vehicle; Fig. G is a transverse sectional view showing the means for holding the bars within the casings; and Fig. 7 is an elevational view ot one ot the angular levers for holding the bars in extended position.

Referring more particularly to the dra-wings, the numeral l designates the trarne of an automobile or similar vehicle, and 2 and.

wardly and rearwardly extendingsocleets 42;"

il transversely disposed cylindrical casing 5 1s arranged forwardly and rearwardly'of the vehicle, each ot the casings having inwardly extending arms 6 for slidable en- @gagement in the sockets l, the arms being engaged at their inner extremities against springs 7 contained within the sockets, whereby the casings constitute bumpers for the vehicle. Slidably mounted in each of the casings is a bar 8, the under side of which is provided with a longitudinal groove 9, which registers with a` similar' groove l0 formed in the casing, whereby a channel is provided to receive a bearing ball 1l which closely engages the walls of the grooves 9 and 10 and which prevents rota.- tion of the shaft within the casing.

The upper tace ot' each bar is provided with a longitudinal series of rack teeth l2, the 'under faces 'oit cach of the teeth being beveled as at i3, and pivotally connected to the ends et each casing are angular levers lin one end of which extends within the cas-- :ing as at l5, and the outer ends of the levers are :forked as at 16 to receive the bars 8 therethrough, thelevers having dogs 17 extending" between the a'rnis 16 of the forked ends thereof, the dogs being disposed in the path of the bars7 so as to engage the rack teeth when the shafts move out of their casings. Arranged to bear against the ends 15 oit the levers l-i are springs 18 which normally torce the ends of the levers carrying the dogs l? inwardly against the ends of the bars S, so that when the bars move out of the casings, the levers are rotated against the tension of the springs i8 so that when the bars reach the limit ot their movement, the dogs l? willibe forced into engagement with the rack teeth by the tension of the springs l to prevent returnv of theA bars within the casings. Each of the casings is provided with a bracket 19 in which a pin 20 is slidably niountedU the casings having openings 2l therein througli which the pins are adapted to extend to engage in recesses :termed in the bars 8. Each of the pins 2Q is engagei hy a spring whereby the pins are ne y forced inwardly so that the sani-e are i ted for eng gei-ient in the recesses 212, and i simultaneously withdraw the pins from er gement with the bars when desired., s lever 24e ed on the frame ci the vehicle :1" point, preferably Within o;c crater7 and conneced to the on fk c f"- site sides of ils pivotal point re'cincL which are connected at their free ends to the pins 20, whereby upon niovenien. of the. lever in the proper direction both pins Withdrawn from engagement with lhe loars.

lin the practical use of my improved deu vice, the bars S are y entirely inclosed Within. the casings by rea-son of the engagement oit the pins EZ() in the recesses in bars, whereby there are no projecting; paris, and.

the casings serve as hunipers or the vehicle Should the vehicle fall into s ditoc the operator actuates the lever 'to Withdraw the pins 9,0 from, the recesses :25h thereby allowing the bars 8 to slide out ci the casing'by the lorce of gravity in the d ction in which me ina une is fallin? in' il bars enm Ll cl a? gage the ground7 whereupon the saine are prevented from returning thin 'the cssings by the engagement of the does l's' "h the 'LV-illu rack teeth l2 in the upper lace el: the loars as shown in Fig. 3 of the drawing. this construction it 'will loe seen that the machine is prevented frein turning: entirely over and falling upon the occupants as usually hap pens when a innchinc runs into a ditchv and when the automobile is again moved to its normal position, the bars 8 may be readily returned Within ihe casing/gs oy grasping the arms lll of the levers to raise the 'dogs l? from engagement with rack teeth. The outward movement of the bars 8 in either direction is limited, ss the grooves 9 bars and 'the grooves l0 in the casings ter minate short oro the ends oil' the bars and cesings, so that the balls engaging the end walls ol the grooves fi and ll prevent the bars from moving entirely out of the casi'ngs, the balls 1l also serving to prevent rotation of the bars within the casing",

lt will be seen l'i'oni the l 'avvings that. in improved. safety device is not unsightly i, appearance as the casings are in the usuel position of the oivlinaly bumpers for antw mobiles, and While serving; as a 'v'liety device to prevent the :ning` over an ad toinobiley the vcasings also serve as bumpers to relieve the. vehicle ci undue shocks in case of collision. l

Having thus fully described my invention, what l desire to claim and secure by Letters Patent is l. A safety device for vehicles comprising sockets carried by the lorivaivl and leer ends of the vehicle, spring pressed casing, connected to said sockets, slidable hars mounted in said oasimgs` each of said bars having lonl,"

itudinnl series oi" rack teeth formed on in the one face thereof, and means carried by the casing' :for engagement with the rack teeth 'to hold the bars in extended position alter the saine have moved partially out ol 'the c-sinsrs upon tilting ol the machine in either if. leccion.,

SL A safety device iter vehicles including longitudinal, yieldaole suppoirting members attached to the end of the vehicle, e casing carried by the members, and a pair of bars slideble in the casing, said bars being adapted to terminally engage the ground upon the tiltingl nl the machine in eithei` direction.

le safety device` for vehicles including longiti'idinally yieldable supp ing mehr hers attached to thejfend of t" vehicle, a casing carried by the members, a pair of hars slidalile in the casing, said bers being adapted to terminally engage the vgrouifid upon the tilting of the inachiA e in either directi n, and means 'normally maintaining the bars Within the casing and against sliding movement therein, and means operable from 'within the vehicle for releasing said lirst means.

4l.. A safety device :for vehicles including; a casing disposed transversely with respect to the vehicle, longitudinally yieldalole means supporting the casing, whereby the casingfinay act as a buffer in case the end of the vehicle collides with an obstacle, and a pair olf bars slidalole longitudinally through the casing and transversely with respect to the vehicle, said bars being adapted to terininally engage the ground upon the 'tilting of the vehicle in either direction.

A safety device for vehicles including a iair of sockets extending longitudinally Yfrom the end or the vehicle, an arni slidable in each. socket and longitudinally with i'espect to the vehicle, yieldalile means ai'- i'anged within the sockets lor normally holding the firms in extended position, a casing; disposed transversely with respect to the ve hicle and supported by the outer ends of seid arm, said casing being adapted to oct as a yicldahle huiciupon the colliding;-` oi the vehicle with an`obstaclc, a pair of bar members slidably mounted in the casingfor. transverse movement with respect to the vehicle, ineens norn'ially holdingthe bars against movement, and means operable from within the vehicle for releasing` said means wlierel'iy the bars may slide outwardly into engagement with the ground upon the till ing; of the vehicle in either direction.

ln cestini f whereof l hereunto alllX my ""eSenCe of 'mvo Witnesses.

lill) Y lMlWlON SlllljlilNG.. lll/'itnesses ORANGE SELLS, il, A. Gono'ivn,

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